Facebook's standalone breaking news app might launch next week

Notify will bring the real news

Facebook's latest project, a breaking news app called Notify, could be in your hands as soon as next week.

Notify is close to launch and even has a list of partners lined up to bring news stories straight to its users, according to a report by The Financial Times.

Some news outlets have been reported as partners for Facebook's news app, namely Vogue, The Washington Post, CNN and Mashable. Once launched, Notify would allow for users to select news sources of their choosing and receive notifications for breaking stories, similar to how Facebook lets you know that your cousin liked a picture you posted from last week's Halloween party.

While Notify is set to be a standalone app, it's unclear how it will impact news outlets that already post stories on Facebook. The requirements for a news organization to join the ranks of Notify, especially if they already operate news apps of their own, are also unknown.

The inclusion of in-app news has shown to be the next big step for social media companies to establish a consistent online presence, as seen with Twitter's recent Moments feed and Snapchat's Discover feature, even though these features do not require an additional app.